As electronic systems become more compact, there is a continuing desire to increase the rate of heat transfer away from heat-dissipating components. With many heat transfer techniques considered for compact devices, it is difficult to provide sufficient cooling for components within the available space inside the device.
Although forced air convection has been used in small electronic devices, such as, for example, laptop computers, forced air convection methods have practical limits. The amount of air required to provide sufficient cooling in a forced air convection system generally creates an undesirable noise level and can consume battery life in portable devices.
Another method for cooling heat-dissipating components involves the use of fluids in a thermal transfer bag. Thermal transfer bags are generally made from flexible, durable, and air-impermeable films. The bags are filled with a thermally conductive fluid and are generally placed between a heat-generating component and the environment.
Although thermal transfer bags have been used in some cooling systems, the use of thermal transfer bags in small electronic devices, such as, for example, laptop computers has been limited, at least in part, because of the limited amount of available space within the chassis of the computer and their surface area requirements for effective cooling. Accordingly, there is a continuing need to provide inexpensive, quiet, and effective cooling systems for cooling small electronic devices that minimize the use of space within the device.